Believing in the Bizarro
by WriKai
Summary: The Life and Times of Prophet Kevin Tran, as told in the post/current apocalyptic setting of the world by the prophet himself. This follows what Kevin's life was like from the start of the end to the end of it all. Paired with another SPN series I'm working on (Believing in the Impossible & onward), but don't feel like you're required to read it first.
1. Lucifer

"Kevin, what are you doing, getting mixed up with Michael?" Lucifer, freaking LUCIFER of all angels and archangels and the rest of the fucked-up shit in the universe, was asking him that question.

"I don't have a choice." He replied, fully aware his voice was a little manic. "I'm a prophet, so I serve God, but there's no God to serve, so I serve the ranking deity, which is Michael, because I don't have a choice because I'm a prophet." It made sense to say.

"Idiot." Lucifer chided. "Can't you see Michael is a monster? Pure evil?"

"Okay, I'm confused. Aren't you Satan?" He looked up at Lucifer, and the both of them knew Kevin had made a solid point. "Which would make you the evil monster? And besides, Michael's taking me to paradise world."

"I'm sorry. What?"

"He's bringing my wife back, and our families, and we're all going to go to paradise world and live the lives we deserve."

"Your wife?" He heard Lucifer pause, and could almost feel the angel's gaze narrow down on the ring around his finger. "When in the hell did you get married?!"

"Didn't other me get married?"

"No!"

"Oh. His loss, then." That was one less thing to worry about, in all honesty. If other him wasn't married, and other him was dead, there would be no worries about having two wives. Hell, other him had probably never even met his wife. The way they had met had been pretty extreme, a by-product of the way the world had ended up.

"How in the hell did you get a girl?" Lucifer asked. "You look like a cokehead freakazoid, no offense." Kevin ignored him. "No, no, I want to know. Answer me here. How in the hell did you land a chick? I thought they were a rarity out here!"

"They are." Kevin stated. He stopped his work then, for just a moment. He could see her face, clear as a bell in the back of his mind. He could see her smile, see her fierceness, her determination.

To be a woman in these wastes, and still survive… It took a special kind of someone. Kevin had just been lucky enough to meet her.

"What's her name?" Lucifer asked. Kevin rolled his eyes, returning back to his work. He wasn't going to answer any more of the Devil's questions. Besides, he was the bad guy, right? Why should Kevin even be talking to him in the first place? "Come on! My life is getting screwed over so that Michael can destroy my world and you can get back some chick. I feel like I at least deserve to know what her name is!" He shook a little against his bindings, looking furious and yet… absolutely curious, like a small child that needed to know the answers; angrily petulant, that's how Kevin would describe him.

Kevin reached in to his pocket, and pulled out a folded-up picture. They'd found an old polaroid camera and checked it for film. There hadn't been much left, but there'd been enough to take one picture. So that was what they did, they took one picture together and Kevin kept it in his pocket. They were smiling, their faces covered in soot and dust and their clothes as dirty as what was considered normal, but they were smiling. They were happy, even with their shitty world situation.

Kevin couldn't remember the last time he felt that happy.

"Is that her?" Lucifer asked. "Is that the chick?" Kevin looked up at him, and offered a curt nod. "Can I see her?"

"Why do you care?"

"You're not giving me a name." Lucifer pointed out. "Can I at least get a face? Something to see what makes teaming up with the most evil entity in this universe worth it all to you?"

"You're the Devil!" Kevin repeated. "You're the most evil entity in this universe right now!"

"Tomato, toe-mah-toe," Lucifer rolled his eyes at that. "Come on, a name or the face. I feel like I'm owed at least one of the two." Kevin pursed his lips, and took a look around. Michael wouldn't be here for another minute or two, and the spell was nearly complete. Besides, who didn't want to gloat to the Devil? Who didn't want to show what was supposed to be the ultimate evil what a small slice of pure love and happiness looked like?

Kevin walked over, his steps a little jerky and uneven as he did. He stopped just out of Lucifer's reach, and held up the picture in front of him. "This is me and her." Kevin stated. "About three months before we got married." Kevin had wished there was more film in there at the time, he would've taken more pictures of her. He would've gotten a picture of her after he proposed, two months after that day. The time between proposal and marriage was short due to the wasteland lifestyle. No need to shop for presents, nobody really asked for or expected gifts (just people), it was just a question of getting word to those you wanted there and finding either an actual priest or someone who didn't care and you wanted to "officiate."

"This is her?" Lucifer asked, his eyes widening. "You… You're kidding right? That's her? That's the girl?!" Kevin pulled the picture away, ashamed. Lucifer looked as though he was laughing at some joke that Kevin wasn't in the know on. "Come on, Kev. You've got to be kidding me, that can't be her!"

"I don't care what you think." Kevin stated, looking at the picture one more time before putting it away. "I love her. She's beautiful to me."

"Besides the fact that she is, and always will be, so out of your league," Lucifer paused, looking him up and down. "Especially with the you that you are in this universe in comparison to the one I from my world, like… Wow. I just… I can't believe it! I… She…" Lucifer broke out laughing again at whatever cosmic joke he was in on that Kevin just didn't get.

"Shut up." Kevin muttered. He returned to the spell, making sure it was at it's penultimate step. He would do it right. He would get back his wife. They would go to this Paradise World. They'd get their families back, and live out lives together.

"No, hold up kid. Wait, wait, wait." Lucifer said, finally stopping his laughter.

"What do you want?"

"Your girl, can I ask a question?"

"You just did."

"Well, I'm going to ask another anyways." Lucifer decided, uncaring of Kevin's feelings. "Is she a… how do I best describe it? Is she a witchy woman?" Kevin just looked at the Devil in confusion, uncertain of how to response.

Fortunately, he didn't have to. Michael strode in, with two other angels beside him. "This better work, prophet." Michael threatened.

"Okay, disclaimer?" Kevin raised his hands in a defensive, please-don't-shoot style gesture. "What I'm making is a synthetically generated megaforce, which has not been tested, and I've never done it before. And it should be enough to open the rift, but I can't promise 100%." Lucifer rolled his eyes.

"Just do it." Michael ordered.

"OK." Kevin raised his hands, a lit match primed and ready to finish the spell.

"Kevin," Lucifer's voice stopped him for just a moment. "Don't do it. If you love your wife, I can guarantee you don't want to do it." Kevin paused, just for a moment.

Then he heard her laugh, in the back of his mind. She didn't laugh often, none of them did anymore, but on the rare occasions he heard it… It was one of the sweetest sounds he had ever heard.

He threw the fire in to the mixture, and spoke. "Mah ray, fay doh, em lah. Kah day, em lah! Kah day, em lah!" As he spoke he added in the final ingredient, Lucifer's grace. As he finished the spell, the contents of the bowl shift from glowing white to a pulsing orange before him. Maybe a moment later, an orange portal ripped open behind Lucifer.

Kevin couldn't help but stare in amazement as the portal pulsed once. He'd done it. He'd actually done it. He'd get his wife back. He'd get their families back. He'd be a hero. He'd have a normal life back!

He didn't notice Lucifer somehow sprinting towards the portal until it was too late. He jumped through, and the portal zipped shut behind him. Kevin felt his hopes of a new life get crushed, but only for a moment.

He'd done it once. He could do it again.

"What just happened?!" Michael roared, angrily turning on him.

"Clearly, the science wasn't perfect!" Kevin stated, feeling as though this explanation was more than just a little obvious. "And wow! The spell's designed to admit one person at a time. Who saw that coming?!" He hadn't. There had been nothing in this spell to show that it was a one person only. Maybe there was a way to tweak it, make the portal last for longer? One person at a time… It'd be difficult to get him and everyone else across that he wanted to across. He'd need a lot of archangel grace that he didn't have.

"Fix this." Michael ordered, stalking away. Kevin recoiled a little at Michael's voice, hearing the fury and disappointment in it. If Kevin didn't fix this, he wouldn't get out of this shithole world. If he didn't fix this, he wouldn't get his wife back. If he didn't fix this, then everything he'd been doing would've been for nothing!

Michael wanted him to fix this, he had to fix this. He was going to fix this. He needed to fix this. Kevin pulled out the picture again, taking one more look at her. There was his reason to keep going. There was his purpose to fix this and succeed.

"I'll see you soon, Kylie." He promised, smiling a little at the picture. "I just gotta keep trying."


	2. Close Encounters

Kevin Tran was born on December 2nd, 1993. His mother's name was Linda, and his father… He never knew his father. That part didn't matter, though. Not to Kevin.

He was born in Neighbor, Michigan, in St. Hope's Maternity Ward. He doesn't remember that. He's kind of glad he doesn't.

On July 15th, 2003, he was five years old and at a kid's playground park. He didn't remember that very well. He remembered the slide being so tall, he was afraid that he if he fell off he'd fall forever and ever. He remembered a little girl, that looked around his age, sitting in a quiet corner reading a book.

Later on, he remembers a girl in his class that moved in the middle of elementary school, maybe when he was in 3rd grade. He was 9 years old. The girl had to have been around the same age. He remembered playing with her sometimes, but he didn't remember the rules of the games. He hugged her after class, and that was that. He didn't remember much else about elementary school. He just remembered brown hair and books and games.

And then he started middle school, his memories became more concrete, and he lived a normal life. His mom raised him to be smart, insanely smart. From the time he was 12 till he was 16, he focused on his academics and playing the cello. He skipped a grade, and was already looking at different colleges when he was 15. He distinctly remembered looking at different colleges for some reason, and distinctly remembered that he had a cello recital coming up. It would determine scholarships for the future. He remembered a brown-haired girl in his class, who had a huge crush on him, but… It didn't feel right. Her brown hair was a dyed color, and was too unreal. Besides, he couldn't focus on girls. He had his whole life waiting for him.

Then he turned 16, and the bombs fell. Or at least, that was what the media told them. Nuclear war had been declared, and Korea had struck the first blow. His mom had been there, at the site of the first blows. Business trip.

He… He never saw his mom again.

Kevin was shuffled to… It was kind of the equivalent of a mass government-run orphanage. There was a small disruption in the beginning that he didn't remember well, not after what happened maybe three weeks after they all were there. So many kids…

Some were dead. Some left burn marks in the ground that were shaped like wings. Others… Others had horns protruding from their skulls. And finally, there were ones that were just… Just dead kids; just bleeding and ruined kids that would never have a future.

A lot of children went missing that night. Nobody knew what happened until, well… Until everyone knew the truth.

It was harder to kill a demon or an angel when they looked like a kid; when they looked like something small that you would never be able to harm, no matter what. For Hunters and people had apparently had experience in this, it was a little easier. Not much, but a little. For people with no experience, who were still somehow alive looking for their kids and finding them to be inhuman…

They took on plenty of adults too, but kids... Kids were the most screwed up and the most tactically sound choice that they made, for both sides.

The first year was the hardest and the most terrifying. Let's just sum it up like that. For Kevin Tran, that first year was the year he was certain he would die; the year he spent in fear of death and running and evolving and doing everything he could to stay alive. He watched a lot of people die that year, everyone did. Most people spent that year in a constant state of fear.

But after that first year… Acceptance kind of settled over everyone. They were all still terrified for their lives, but… It's like when you poke a bruise constantly. It hurts, yeah, but you get used to that pain and it gradually stops being at the forefront of your mind. That was what happened with that fear of death. They all knew they could still die any minute, but at that point… It was the same as saying you could get hit by a car or die in a plane crash before all this holy and unholy shit hit the fan.

It was a fear, but it was a little farther back in their minds now. They made it through the first year. That had to mean they knew something, right?

For Kevin, it meant learning who to make friends with and who to train with. For Kevin, it meant using that big, smart brain his mom always said he had and trying to make things work better. He wasn't quite exactly good with his hands, but he met someone who could teach him. In turn Kevin was good with math and physics; he had a knack for numbers and understanding them. Kevin could draw up a rations plan, could check the math of different traps and see what would be effective in terms of physics.

And he had a bike. In learning how to be good with his hands, he learned how to maintain it better. That was helpful in surviving. He learned how to put tires on it that would better suit the new terrain style that the world was headed towards. He could get places quicker if need be. He could keep running.

He may have known how to make the right friends, but that didn't mean that he wanted to be around them. The world was a grey desert, and somehow… Kevin found that to be alright. He'd already been through the freak-out of factoring the Supernatural in his life. He could accept the grey desert and the broken-down remains of places he'd never seen. He just preferred to do it mostly in solitude.

Kevin Tran's solitude changed two years after everything had changed. The landscape was mostly destroyed, now; grey ash and dirt, grey cloudy sky, grey spires that had risen from the ground, grey everything. He was alright with that. Color didn't matter when you were looking for solutions, or at the very least improved survival (which seemed more and more like his only option at this point).

He was back in what used to be his hometown, seeing the change over the course of two years. It was surprisingly drastic. Then again, the changes over the rest of the world had become pretty drastic pretty quickly, or at least that was what he learned before all the news stations went dead. It shouldn't have surprised him that this would be more than a little changed too.

That didn't stop him from remembering where everything used to be, though. There were still some spots that held the faintest remembrance of what they used to be. A bent and warped piece of metal, rust undoing the smoothness it had been crafted for. An old playground had been there. And down the street not too far away, there used to have been an ice cream place him mom would take him to sometimes as a special treat. There was nothing left now to indicate its prior existence, just grey dirt and ash and a newly-formed spire.

He took a turn down where he knew a street used to be, and another turn what he felt to be four or five blocks later. The ruins of the neighborhood were absolutely trashed, but there were still some ruins.

He knelt down, picking up two sticks. With some rope in his backpack, he was able to form a crude and rudimentary cross. He walked across the threshold of where he was certain his home used to be, and after a few moments stabbed the cross hard in to the ground. It stuck, easily, and once he was certain it wouldn't topple over too easily he knelt down in front of it.

After all, he had to do something for his mom. He couldn't just do nothing. And at this point he knew, he was fully aware that he was alone and he that was stupid. The world was absolutely fuckey, and demons or angels or something, ANYTHING, could be waiting to pounce him.

But he still went alone. He had to do this one alone. And honestly, at that point, he preferred it that way. He'd rather roam alone, or with a small group of people, than stick with the safety in numbers mentality that most of the surviving world had clung to now. Less people. Less drama. Less problems.

This time, though, being alone had almost got him killed. He hadn't heard the demon until it was too late, creeping up on him in an uncharacteristically quiet manner. He turned when he did hear the thing, and watched as it swung down on him with a makeshift machete. Kevin… In that moment, he was certain he had met his end.

But it stopped, halfway in its downward swing, as the demon froze with it. Kevin could see an orange light emanating from inside the thing, flickering on and off for a few moments before the thing fell backwards, as if almost jerked backwards. Behind it stood a… a woman. His age, approximately. Maybe a year younger. She had brown hair, piercing eyes, and… were those angel blades in her hands?

They were. Two, in fact. She bore one in either hand, wifth the one in her left down at her side, and the one in her right extended slightly, and covered in blood. Her shirt had splatters of blood on it as well, but then again… what didn't these days?

She stared at him for just a second, the time for him to distinctly feel his heart beat once, before she turned around and ran. She didn't say a word. He didn't even get a chance to meet her. She just… she ran, faster than anyone he'd seen.

Kevin couldn't help it. He ran after her. He wasn't certain why, but he did. He could've sworn he saw a flash of that brown hair around a corner, but when he rounded it himself… She was gone. It was as though she never existed but… at the same time…

That hair, and those eyes, he could've… he could've sworn he'd seen them before, somewhere. Anywhere.

But he didn't know where.


	3. Fetch Quest

The second time he saw her was out in the wastes of what used to be Nevada, about eight months after that first interaction. He'd been asking around here and there, about a girl who still used blades instead of bullets. He actually went in to those safety in numbers communities to try and get answers, see if anyone had seen her or knew her or had any information. When people asked why he was looking for her (not a lot did. Enough people had been lost where sometimes you just had a poor soul looking for someone you were certain was gone. Most thought that he was just doing the same thing), he just said it was important. In truth, he didn't quite understand why he was looking for her. She saved his life, sure, and on one hand he wanted to thank her for that. But these days, when you couldn't thank a person who saved your life you kinda just… poured a beer for them.

Not a lot of people really had answers for him.

That is, until he met Bobby Singer. Someone had known someone that knew someone that knew the man, and Bobby Singer knew who he was talking about.

"I need you to help me find someone." He started, when the man finally answered his damn door. And wouldn't you believe it, you know what he did?

Said no, and slammed the door in his face. Kevin let out a huff of air, and started banging on his door again.

"Bobby Singer!" He shouted, banging on the man's door. "I'm looking for a woman, and I heard that you might know something!" More banging, but no response. "Please!" He kept banging.

"Go away!" Singer shouted through the door. Kevin stopped for a second, thinking.

"I'm not leaving until you help me!" Kevin replied. "And I'm pretty certain you're a man who enjoys your solitude! So until you tell me what I need to know, I'm not leaving!" No response. Kevin started banging on the door again. "I'll leave dents in your door before I leave!"

Eventually, Singer let him in, slightly impressed by Kevin's tenacity. "This girl must be some sort of important to you if you stuck around that long. Who is she?"

"I have no idea." Kevin replied, shaking his arms. They hurt from banging on the door for so long. Singer offered him a strange look, but still let him in.

After Kevin told him all he knew, Singer told him what he knew. "She's a wasteland ghost." He explained. Kevin nodded. Everybody knew what a wasteland ghost was. They were on their own, no connections to others, nobody really looking for them or caring for them; people that could live and die in the wastes and become a ghost, and by God nobody would know the difference.

But she wasn't a ghost, because she had angel blades in her hands. Ghosts didn't use angel blades.

"Do you know her name?"

"I've got a nickname." He said. "Kai. But that's about it."

"Are you sure you have nothing else?" Kevin asked. "Somewhere she likes to be? Where she's from? Anything?"

"Kid, you know the same as anyone else that knows about her." Singer replied. "Dark hair, small and slim build, two angel blades, and likes to disappear before someone can get anything else."

"She's quiet." Kevin added. "Quieter than anyone else. I couldn't hear her when she came up."

"Yeah, and you couldn't hear that demon either." Singer pointed out, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Her eyes are gold." Kevin stated, his voice almost rushed for some reason as they said the words. "Not gold like monster gold, but gold like… Like the way hazel eyes can look like gold." The elder man didn't say anything for a little bit, just let out a small sigh.

"Look, I'll ask around." Singer promised. "But I need a favor."

"What is it?"

"There's a type of plant out in the wastes just west of here." He explained. "Kinda buried under all the ash, but it thrives, for some reason. I'll draw you a picture of it. Bring me some, and I'll tell you what I found afterwards."

"What do you need a plant for?"

"Remember the angel blast that hit that area about five or so years back?" Bobby asked. Kevin nodded. "Changed some of the ecology there. Those plants are like a human health booster. Makes you heal a little faster. I know a few people that could use them." The man shrugged. "Look, you don't have to if you don't want to, I've got other things to do myself. I was just thinking of trading a favor for a favor here." Kevin thought for a minute on that, looking at the man.

"Alright." He agreed. "I'll go find your healing plant."

Singer drew him a picture, and Kevin shoved that in his pocket. From there he set off, starting his journey to get the magic plant.

"Fucking plant fetch quest." Kevin muttered as he hopped on his bike. It was a standard bicycle, originally. But when Kevin got a hold of it, the thing gained lights and heavier sets of wheels and the equivalent of saddlebags and a specific hold for his rifle, in case he needed to fire as he went. It had taken time and effort and learning about a lot of things he hadn't had to learn before, but damn did it work, and it faster than walking everywhere like a lot of people did now. He made it to the Nevada wastes over the course of a few days, and got to work from there.

It was in those same wastes that a group of seven or ten demons found their way to him, not nearly as quiet this time but their numbers… Kevin was certain he'd meet his end again. "Stupid fucking plant fetch quest." He swore, pulling out his assault rifle. He could probably cut them down, but they were circling, and they were fast.

What the hell? He had nothing better to do. And it was this or just lay down and die.

He started firing, and actually cut one down, but the others were moving too fast, and it was difficult for him to watch his back. Constant circling versus their speed… He could try, but it would take a miracle for him to live.

And a miracle came, just as quietly and deathly as it had the first time.

The first thing he heard was the familiar groan of a demon dying behind him. When he turned, he saw it fall forwards. There was an angel blade embedded in its back. Behind where it had stood was the same woman, her hair a tangled mess that flew out behind her as she ran, straight towards him. "BEHIND YOU!" She shouted. Kevin snapped himself out of his reverie, turning back around to shoot blindly. Somehow, the bullets met their intended targets, and two more demons fell. The others were circling more warily now, looking for any weak spots. Kevin could more feel rather than see when the girl, Kai, had his back. She slashed at any that came close, killing just as many as he shot down. In a matter of minutes, the demons were dead, and he was alive to live another day.

"Hey, thanks." He turned around, ready to thank her, but she was already sprinting away. The treeline was maybe five hundred or so feet away, and she was already halfway there. "Wait!" He shouted, sprinting after her. "WAIT! KAI, WAIT UP!"

When he shouted her name, she paused for just a second; just long enough to turn back and look at him. And in that instant, Kevin saw her, but he saw… a memory.

A little girl with brown hair and books, wearing a pink shirt and a girly plaid skirt. She looked surprised, for just a moment. Her hair shined in the sun, on a day that the apocalypse couldn't touch because it didn't exist yet. He could hear a name, just barely, being shouted by an older man… An adult. "Kai-Kai! Time to go!"

Then she was gone; both the memory and the woman itself.

Kevin made his way to his bike, and started going back to Bobby's. She'd spoken. He had a voice. And… a something else that he didn't know what to do with.

Bobby didn't have much more information. A few areas where people were certain they'd seen her, mapped out calmly and methodically. One hotspot wasn't far from where he'd grown up. Another was, coincidentally, Nevada. There were a few other places with more sightings than most, but they were strewn out all over.

"There's no way she's doing all of this on foot." Kevin commented. "She's got to have a bike like me or something."

"It could be possible." Bobby replied. "If she wasn't human."

"Everything non-human is dead." Kevin stated. They both knew that. The angels and demons had wiped everything else out, save for humans.

"That's what we think." Bobby replied. "That's what we've gathered from everything else we've experienced. But what if they're not?"

"What proof do you have?" Kevin asked. Bobby just glanced over at the map, doing the eyebrow raise thing again. "No." Kevin shook his head. "She's human."

"How do you know?" Bobby asked. Kevin took a moment to think before answering.

"She sounds human." He admitted. The elder man stopped then, looking at him.

"You heard her speak?" He asked. Kevin nodded.

"Just for a moment." He answered. "She… She shouted that there was a demon behind me. She saved my life again, I think."

"Well what happened next?" Bobby asked.

"I… After the demons were dead, she ran again." Kevin explained. Why not? This guy might actually help him find her. "I shouted for her to wait, and she looked back for a moment. I could've sworn then that I… that I knew her from somewhere. From before the whole 'valley of the shadow of death' thing became the entire freaking world. From when…" He thought hard on that memory. "From when we were kids."

"I thought you said you didn't know her."

"I don't." Kevin responded. "At least… I don't think so. If I did it would've been a long, long time ago." He stared at the map, thinking about that memory again. It could've been her. Same color hair, but more tamed and cared for. Same type of eyes, but not as hardened and alert. But everything else…

The girl in his memory looked more curious in her surprise, whereas the woman he had seen just… Looked surprised. Maybe even a little startled.

It made him wonder how long it had been since she'd heard someone say her name.

"Why're you looking for this girl?" He finally asked. "You don't know her, as far as you remember. She saved your life, sure, but these days…" Bobby shook his head. "These days it tends to be band together or get killed. Why put so much time in to a woman who doesn't seem to want to be found?"

"Because…" Kevin didn't have an answer to that question, as much as he wished he did. But when he first saw her… When he first saw her he couldn't help but want to see her again. He couldn't help but wish he could find her, could talk to her, could…

Hell, he had no idea. He just knew he wanted to find her.

"Because what else is there to do in this hellish world?" He finally said. "It's kill or be killed, band together or get destroyed, and…" He shrugged. "I just don't know, I guess. I want to find her because… Because I feel like I have to." At that, he nodded. That answer felt right. "I feel like I'm supposed to find her."

Bobby just rolled his eyes. "Sounds like a load of crap, but," he shrugged. "I'll make you a deal, kid. You seem resourceful. You keep helping me with a few things here and there and I'll do what I can to help you find this girl."


	4. Talking to Mary

After his "failure" to transport Michael to the better world, Kevin was… Well… he didn't really want to say. Michael was less than favorable to Kevin's failure, to say the absolute possible least. Extremely unfavorable.

The bruises and scrapes on Kevin's body spoke enough about that.

He was regulated to keeping watch over Mary as he worked. It was a pretty simple job. They kept Mary the same cage they'd kept other Lucifer in, so Kevin didn't have to do much. Random feedings. Help when she needed a bathroom break (that was his least favorite job). Ignoring her talking.

The ignoring part was the hardest.

"Hey," this was the third time in the past few hours she'd tried conversation. Usually they were one-sided. Kevin had gotten pretty good at focusing on tasks given to him, like fixing the singularity issue of interdimensional travel.

He wished he had Bobby's lore books. He'd been basing his work off of math and whatever the tablet told him. Highly experimental. Highly volatile.

However when he thought the word volatile he wasn't certain to who or what the word was meant for – Michael or interdimensional travel. For some reason, the word didn't apply to Lucifer.

Maybe he was just crazy.

"Hey." Mary said again, her voice a little firmer. Kevin glanced up to see her staring right at him, looking… Tired. Like she had no fight in her. "Where's Lucifer?" That wasn't necessarily the first time she'd asked the question, but it was getting annoying.

"Not here." That was the first time Kevin had answered her. "He's gone."

"Gone?" She seemed startled by that. "Gone where?" Kevin didn't answer, re-evaluating the math in front of him. Was it really a one person only Rift or had it actually been a time constraint that Lucifer had just barely jumped in on? Could it be shifted from a time constraint to a counter restraint, and vice-versa?

How was he going to get himself, Michael, and everyone else across?

"What do you mean gone, Kevin?" She'd heard his name when Michael had thrown him in here. Actually, Michael had kinda thrown Kevin in to Mary's cage. She'd gotten a few wounds from that. He felt bad, but at the same time… It was best not to argue with Michael. Just get the job done, and keep him pacified. "Where is Lucifer?"

That raised a curious question in Kevin's mind. How did he know for certain Lucifer had made it through alive? What if he'd actually been vaporized the second he'd gone through? That wasn't a pleasant thought. Once he had the Rift more stabilized to stay open it would be easier, but at the same time…

Once Lucifer had jumped through something had felt different, if only for a moment. It was like recoil, like the Rift hadn't just closed because somebody went through. It was as though the tension holding it open had been forced to relax.

But that was crazy. Of course that was crazy. A Rift had been opened at one point, and obviously allowed for multiple people to get through. Mary and Lucifer were proof of that. If it had been done once, it could be done again.

He just wished he'd been there at the site. Actually seeing what had happened… that could help with his work.

But Mary had been there. Mary… Mary might be useful to him.

"How did you get here?" Kevin asked, looking up at her. She seemed surprised to hear him ask her a question.

"I… I told you. I came through a Rift."

"How was it made?" Mary didn't answer, looking at him in confusion. Kevin rolled his eyes at her. "Look, I need to know how you made this interdimensional portal. You were there when it was done successfully. How was it opened and what caused it to shut?"

"I… I don't have to answer you." Kevin shook his head.

"No, you really, really do." He argued, taking a few steps towards the cage. Mary just kept staring at him with that tired look in her eyes. "So you… you're going to answer me right now, or else…" he thought, searching for a threat. He couldn't bring himself to rock her cage, but at the same time if he didn't get a new idea then he would never see…

No. He would see her again. He wouldn't allow failure to be an option.

"Or else I'll go get Michael, and make him do his mind reading thing on you." Kevin decided. His voice sounded weak as he spoke though, and he knew it. If he went to the archangel for help, he was certain that his patience would wear thin. Michael would beat him again, and Kevin… Kevin didn't need that. He just needed Mary to talk.

"Why don't we make a deal?" Mary asked. Kevin took a step away, examining the woman.

"I'm not letting you out." He stated automatically.

"I didn't think you would." Mary replied. "Why not a trade? Questions for questions, answered truthfully on both ends."

"Why would you want that?"

"Because I've been locked in this cage for at least three weeks." She replied. Her math was off. It was actually just a week and a half, but solitary confinement also used to have valid research backing up the inability to properly assess time, and Mary… Mary had been alone in this room and that cage for the better part of that week and a half. "I just want to know a few things too, and have a break from not talking to anyone. Please?" The plea came out a little flat, but still earnest. And Kevin really, really needed that information.

What was the worst that could happen?

"Fine." Kevin said. "How was the Rift created?"

"I already answered one of your questions." She argued. "It's my turn." Kevin sighed, feeling impatient.

"Fine. Ask your question."

"What did you mean when you said that Lucifer was gone?"

"I meant he's gone." Kevin said. "He…" Michael's rage was still an extremely vivid memory. Kevin could feel the heat behind his eyes. "He left. Jumped ship. Closed the door behind him."

"He went through the Rift?" Mary's eyes widened. "How?"

"No. My turn." Kevin sat down, opening his notebook to a new page. "How did you open the Rift from your side?"

"I didn't."

"Who did?"

"How did Lucifer get through the Rift?"

"He escaped. Who opened the Rift on your side?"

"A child." Mary was giving purposefully short and vaguely specific answers, but they seemed to be honest. Kevin would get to what he needed eventually. "Who opened a Rift from this side?"

"I did." Mary seemed absolutely stunned at that. "What kind of child?"

"A Nephilim." She admitted. Kevin wrote the word down, proud that he knew what it meant. He wasn't exactly the most religious person before all this, but he'd seen his fair share of anime and played some good D&D. He knew what a Nephilim was, and how powerful it was supposed to be. "How did you open a Rift?"

"I made a spell." Kevin said the words with a little bit of pride. Nobody else on this side of the universe could do what he did. That made him priceless to Michael. He wouldn't be killed, Michael needed him. "Who's the angel parent of the Nephilim?"

"Lucifer." Kevin almost dropped his pencil at that. He hadn't known that part. Michael hadn't told him. Did he know?

If he didn't, he would be grateful for the knowledge.

"How did you create a spell to open the Rift?" Mary asked.

"I'm…" Kevin knew the explanation would take far too long, and would probably be difficult for Mary to comprehend. It was a lot of higher-level math combined with the information from the tablet and anything on magic that he could remember (or that Michael would tell him). "I'm just very good at what I do. I was in advanced placement."

"You were?" Her voice softened a little at that.

"Yeah." Kevin nodded, still scribbling. "I was. And that was two questions, so now you have to answer two of mine. How did you maintain Rift stabilization from your side without it collapsing on after the first interdimensional disturbance?" Mary looked confused at that. "How did you keep the Rift open?"

"I didn't. None of us did." She said. "It was all the Nephilim."

"How did the Nephilim open it?"

"I don't know. He wasn't even born yet when it happened." That was a very powerful being. Michael would really appreciate all this. "Why are you working for Michael?"

"Because he's going to take me and the people I care about out of this hellhole." Kevin said smartly. "And because he's, you know, an archangel. One of the good guys. How did you close the Rift?"

"I didn't do that either. Who do you care about?" Kevin stopped at that. He needed more answers, but this question… He didn't want to answer it.

"Friends." He said evasively. "Family. Who closed the Rift?"

"A witch and a demon. How long were you married?" Kevin almost dropped his notebook at that question. He… He hadn't said that. How had she known? Mary smiled at him almost kindly, not really able to motion with her hands but looking like she wanted to. "I saw the ring on your hand." She explained. Kevin glanced down at it on impulse. It wasn't anything special, just a simple band he'd found when the two of them had looted an old mall. The ring he'd given her, however, was just a little nicer. It'd been somehow kept in not bad condition.

"Not long enough." Kevin said. "Four years, two months, and… and fifteen days." That was the truth. He'd made certain to remember the exact days that they'd been married. It was important to him. He wished he could've gotten so much longer. He knew he was lucky to have had the time he had, but still… He wished for more. He would always wish for more.

And hopefully he would get it, so long as he did what Lucifer asked.

"You loved her very much." Not a question, but a statement. Kevin nodded. "I was married once too. I… I understand what it feels like to lose someone you love."

"What was his name?" Not a question he needed to know, but at the same time… Kevin felt like he had to ask.

"John Winchester."

"I have a friend who used to know a guy named that." Kevin said. The guy had been a war vet. Good man. Died too soon. "They said he was a very good man."

"He wasn't perfect, but he was who he was." Mary said. "What was your wife's name?"

"Kylie Dillinger." Mary stilled at that just a little, but enough for Kevin to notice.

"She sounds nice." Mary stated.

"She was." Kevin agreed. He decided to come back to why she reacted a little towards his wife's name later. He needed to focus on his work. "Did the witch and demon survive closing the Rift?"

"One of them did, The demon. I fell back through before I could see the other one make it through. What… What was Kylie like?"

"She was smart." Kevin said. "She was… different, but kind. She was a warrior. How did the demon and the witch close the Rift?"

"They used a spell. The witch made it." That was important. Kevin felt a little more jubilant. If she existed on this side, she could be useful. Not saying that Kevin wasn't doing good on his own, but at the same time if he could access the person that closed it… Options were options, and any help would be useful. The demon, not so useful. "How did you two meet?"

"She saved my life." Kevin smiled a little. "Twice. The third time I saved hers. What was the name of the witch?" Mary didn't say anything. She looked… Confused. Concerned. Extremely so. This was the first question she hadn't answered, or at least started to, off the bat. "What was the name of the witch, Mary?"

"You don't want to know that." Mary promised. "You really don't."

"A question is a question, now answer it."

"Do you love your wife?" She asked instead.

"That's not what I asked."

"No, it's what I asked. Do you love your wife?"

"Why do you think I'm here?" He asked. "I'm doing this for her. Give me the name."

"No. If you really love your wife, you wouldn't be here and you wouldn't want this name."

"I'm here because Michael is bringing her back once I finish." Kevin seethed, standing to walk towards Mary's cage. He stood directly in front of her, feeling anger surge though him. "Then we're all going in to your wonderfully beautiful world that Michael has told me about, and we're going to live out a normal life together like she deserves. I would do anything to have her back and to give her a better life." He reached to grip one of the bars, fingers clasping around the spikes. "Now give me that name, Mary." She stared down at him, and he met her gaze evenly. This time, he was serious. This woman had tried to use his wife against him. There wasn't anything he wouldn't do to get her back.

And Mary could see that, when she looked in his eyes. She could see that he was absolutely serious as he gripped the cage, ready to give it a hard push.

"The name of the witch was…" She took a deep breath. "Was Diana. Diana Nyx."

"And what is her connection to the name of my wife?" Kevin demanded. "You told me if I loved her, I wouldn't want to know. Why didn't I want to know that name?"

"I can't tell you."

"Yes, you can. And you will." The words came out like a threat, and in truth they were. "Now tell me why."

"You don't want to know." She repeated.

"TELL ME WHY I DIDN'T WANT TO KNOW!" He screeched.

"PROPHET!" Michael's voice boomed from behind him. Kevin let go of the cage immediately, turning jerkily to face the archangel. Michael strode in calmly, the usual air of power and control surrounding him. "What are you doing with our prisoner?" Michael asked.

"I… I…" Kevin stammered. "I'm trying to get information from her. About the Rift they opened on their side and how they did it."

"And what did you learn?"

"That they… They…" Kevin took a breath. "They don't know how to open one. They didn't do it, Lucifer and Mary I mean. There was a Nephilim, Lucifer's son, that opened it. But none of them closed their Rift either. Theirs didn't close on its own, too. It was purposefully forced shut. They got a… a witch and a demon to do it. The demon died, though. She doesn't know whether or not the witch is still alive on their end."

"Very good job, prophet." Kevin shirked away from Michael as he drew nearer. The angel focused his gaze on Mary, making her flinch without even having to touch her. "What was it you were yelling at her about?"

"She… She knew my wife's name." Kevin stated. "She said that I wouldn't want to know the name of the witch because of my wife. I think… I think she knows something about her, on the other world." Michael looked expectantly at Mary, as if waiting.

"Well?" He asked. "Answer the young man. What do you know?"

"Nothing you need to know." She spat at the archangel. Michael tutted a little, shaking his head.

"I guess I'll need to pull the information out for myself." He decided, reaching up to her forehead. Mary tried to flinch away, but that just knocked her head in to a dulled spike. Michael placed a hand on the side of her head, closing his eyes. Mary's whole body seized as he did. The whole process… It made Kevin feel sick. This wasn't what he wanted. He just wanted his wife back, to give her a life he deserved.

But if this was what he had to do to get there, then it was what needed to be done.

The instant Michael removed his hand, Mary visibly relaxed. Michael chuckled a little before turning to Kevin.

"You may be dead in the universe she comes from, but your wife," Kevin held his breath. This… he could almost hear the words before Michael said them. This was a possibility he hadn't even considered. "Your wife is alive on the other side."

Kevin looked from Michael to Mary, unable to quite believe what he was hearing. "She… She's alive?"

"Last time Mary saw her, she was." Michael promised. Mary took a few deep, heaving breaths. She looked… absolutely terrified. "Come along, Kevin. You've done good work at redeeming yourself. Let's get back to fixing your Rift spell."

"Kevin, there's more!" Mary promised. Michael already had a hand on his shoulder though, and was leading him towards the exit.

"Don't listen to her." Michael ordered, his voice uncharacteristically soft. "She will only seek to lie to you now."

"Kevin!" Mary shouted. The prophet kept walking with Michael though. He felt a little better, like the work he was doing was good. Still oppressive, but better. "Kevin! It's about Kylie!"

"Ignore her, prophet." Michael's voice was firmer this time, his grip on Kevin's shoulder tightening just enough. "And return to your work. You can be re-united with your wife again in the other universe."

Mary's cries faded in the back of Kevin's mind as he evaluated his notes, formatting the new information in to what he had already created. The power source to keep it open indefinitely would need to be much larger, obviously. What could they use to do that?

Kevin couldn't help but smile as he re-worked his calculations. He could see her again. She was alive in the other world. He couldn't give a damn as to whether or not he was, but Kylie… She was all that mattered. She was alive in that other universe. She probably missed him too.

He could go back to her. They could be together again.

Kevin wouldn't fail Michael this time. He wouldn't allow himself to.


	5. I Need Help

For the next six months after Kevin completed his initial fetch quest, he and Bobby singer worked together diligently. Kevin went out for ingredients, to send messages, to try and warn groups on larger gatherings of halos (and killing the larger demon nests), depending on the day. Bobby kept every feeler out and open, sending Kevin to wherever someone had told him they'd last seen Kai. He disappeared sometimes, but usually came back a few days later. He came to accept Kevin staying there, as much as he could. Still grumped about his presence, of course ("I swear, the sooner we find this damned girl, the sooner you'll be out of my damned house and done mooching off of my damned food." "Bobby, I told you, I went out and got food last week." "Yeah, well, you ate it all." "YOU ATE AN ENTIRE CAN OF PEACHES!" "I went and got that can myself!" "NO, YOU DIDN'T!"), but Kevin felt as though the old guy would miss him if he left.

It was odd, living with someone else like this. Kevin had actually gotten used to being on his own, and he was certain Bobby had been that way for a long time. But in a strange way… It worked, the two of them. They worked together. It made him feel more hopeful than

But after six months of looking and no leads, not even running in to her again on accident, Kevin was starting to feel doubtful. Had she died? Was she gone? Did she not want to see him again?

But six months, twelve days, and some odd hours after looking, they found her.

Or rather, she found them.

There was a bang at Bobby's front door. Kevin got up off the couch to answer it. Sometimes it was a person coming for help. Other times it was a random demon trying to bang their way in. From the type of pounding, it sounded like an urgent person. "I'm coming!" He shouted, taking the safety off of his gun anyways. Always better to be safe than sorry.

He opened the door a crack, and once he saw who was outside he opened it wide. It was… It was her. It was Kai.

She still had her blades, and held one in her hand as she clutched her side tightly. Blood seemed to be flowing freely from her fingers, though, unhindered by the pressure she was putting on the area.

"I need help." She requested, meeting his gaze urgently. Then she fell, all strength leaving her body as she careened towards Kevin. He caught her with ease, making sure to catch her blades too before they fell from her hands.

"BOBBY!" He shouted, dragging her inside. The elder hunter came in at his shout, taking a second to examine the scene before he went to acquire his medical kit. Kevin, meanwhile, set her up on Bobby's couch, removing his own shirt quickly to put better pressure on the wound to her side. It looked as though it had been slashed, and badly.

Slashed with angel blades, from the heat they were putting off. Kai had tangled with at least one halo, if not more. She was lucky to still be alive right now. But why was she here? Were the angels nearby? Had she walked all the way over here?

Those things didn't matter. Right now, what mattered was healing her.

Bobby switched off with him maybe a minute later. "Go check the perimeter." He ordered. Kevin hesitated. He wanted to stay around her, make sure she was OK. "GO!" The man shouted. "We don't know what followed her here! I got her." After maybe another second of hesitation, Kevin took his gun and went outside, cocking the safety off with practiced ease. It was twilight. Easy enough to see things, but dark enough to give some of them an advantage.

He circled the property once, twice, three and four and five times, widening his range as he went. Nothing came out to greet him, and once he hit his fourth circle he could see why.

Two angels were dead, their wings burned in to the ash around them. Their vessels both had puncture wounds coming directly from their chests. Kai must've gotten them. One human taking down two angels, though?

Maybe Bobby was right. Maybe she wasn't human after all. Or at least not fully.

A second later, a more pressing question arose in Kevin's mind. What were angels doing so close to Bobby's place? Did they follow her here or were they already in the area? And if they followed her… Did she know we'd be here? Was she coming here on purpose?

Too many questions with too many possibilities for answered. Kevin used that last circle to clear his head a little bit and sort through everything before finally heading back in.

"Area's clear." He reported to Bobby. "Two dead angels about 60 yards out." He glanced at Kai. Bobby had worked fast, doing whatever he knew how to do to stabilize her. She was still out cold, but she wasn't bleeding profusely anymore. Kevin's shirt, however, was more than likely unsalvageable.

"This girl killed two halos?" Bobby asked.

"It looks that way." He nodded. Bobby whistled.

"What kinda chick have you been looking for, anyways?" He asked. Kevin shook his head, uncertain.

"I don't know." He replied, staring at Kai. She slept on, blissfully unaware of the questions brewing in Kevin's mind.


	6. Acceptable

Kevin and Bobby alternated between who was awake to watch over the girl, as well as see if anything would come after her. But the night passed by peacefully, without a word from anything that could come to attack.

Kevin was keeping watch when she woke up, her body jerking rapidly as she sat up. She made eye contact with him, and scooted away immediately. Kevin moved quickly, taking a step towards her, his arms raised and moved slightly towards her. "Hey, hey, easy there." He kept his voice calm and low, maintaining eye contact and a respectable distance. "You're OK. Do you remember coming here?" She was breathing heavily, but she did nod. Kevin offered her a small smile. "Good. Do you remember being hurt?" She stopped for a second, putting her hand on her ribs where she'd been injured. Bobby had had to cut away a part of her shirt that had been too soaked in blood to salvage, so there was nothing there but bandages and wrapping. "A… A friend fixed you up." Kevin explained. "We'll probably need to check in a minute to see if you messed up your stitches, and to replace the bandages. Do you remember… do you remember who I am?" Another nod, her hand still covering where she'd been hurt. "Good. I'm gonna call for my friend. You're not gonna bail if I leave the room, are you?" She didn't answer, and Kevin had a good feeling that the second he looked away she would bolt. He let out a sigh. "Look, we're not holding you hostage here. If you want to leave, you're free to. Just… Just let us make sure you're OK, alright?" She watched him for a while, maintaining eye contact as the wheels were turning in her mind.

"OK." She said. He smiled wider at her, nodding.

"I like your voice." He complimented, standing up. Kai's gaze seemed to soften slightly at that, something that Kevin felt happy about. He walked over to Bobby's door, and knocked on it lightly. "Bobby, our guest is awake!"

"Gimme a minute." He grumbled through the door. Kevin went over to the kitchen, then, glancing back in to the living room to check and see if Kai was still there. She was, sitting as still and quiet as a statue. Kevin went to the food stores next, and pulled out some bread, fruits, and a few bottles of water for everyone to have. Once he had everything he walked back in to the living room, and cautiously took a seat next to Kai.

"You hungry?" He asked. She nodded, and he handed her an apple and a slice of bread. She took them from him slowly, and examined the food for a few minutes before taking a tentative bite. She was thin, incredibly so, but she ate slowly and carefully.

She still didn't talk much, though. Kevin couldn't help but wonder why.

Bobby joined them a few minutes later, taking some food from Kevin before he sat in a nearby chair. "Damn kids eating my damn food." He muttered.

"I got this food last week." Kevin pointed out.

"Still my damn food." The man continued to mutter, taking out a pocketknife. Kai stopped eating immediately to watch Bobby's actions, and in turn watched cautiously as the man used his knife to open a can of peaches before putting it away. Once the knife was gone, Kevin could see her visibly relax. "Glad to see you're awake, Sleeping Beauty." He said, glancing over at the girl. She nodded, taking another bite from the piece of bread. "What brought you here?" She thought for a minute before motioning to the injury to her side. "How'd you get it?" She reached behind her to pull out an angel blade (Kevin couldn't help but wonder when she had gotten those back. He hadn't even seen her take them from the table), and pantomimed a swiping movement in front of her before putting it back where it had been. "You're not big on talking much, are you?" A head shake. "Can you talk?"

"Can you eat with your mouth closed?" She responded, raising an eyebrow. Kevin almost choked on his food, fighting back a snicker. Bobby just glared, but made a conscious effort to keep his mouth more closed as he ate.

"How come you don't talk much?" Kevin asked, his voice definitely softer than Bobby's. Kai shrugged.

"Easier." She decided. "Words complicate things."

"Well, would you mind using them for us complicated folks?" Bobby asked, his voice just a slight gruffer than it had been earlier. Kevin looked over to glare at him for a second before turning back to Kai. She nodded, though, her expression as impassive as the other man's.

"I'll try." She promised.

"Thank you." Kevin said, smiling at her again. He could almost feel Bobby's eye-roll behind his head.

"Let's start out simple. What's your name?" Bobby asked.

"Kai."

"Kai what?"

"Just Kai."

"Is that a nickname for something?" Bobby asked sharply. At that question, Kevin could feel a little bit of information pulling at the back of his head. Nothing he could grasp at, but something that was trying to break free. What was Kai a nickname for? What had he heard?

"Where are you from?" Kevin asked instead, ignoring Bobby's previous question. "Not now, but… Before it all happened, where did you live?"

"Michigan." Same state that Kevin had come from. He wanted to press on, but she turned to face Bobby. "And that doesn't matter." From the steel in her gaze, both men knew she wouldn't be answering Bobby's question any further from that, and in all honesty the same standard would probably apply to a lot of her history right now.

"Fine." Bobby agreed. "What were you doing coming here?"

"He's been looking for me." She pointed at Kevin. "And… and they've been looking for him."

"My name is Kevin," he started with. She nodded, as though she already knew that. "And who's looking for me?"

"Angels." Kevin stilled at that, and Bobby looked over at him sharply.

"There something you're not telling me?" Bobby asked him, his voice calm and even. Kylie garnered their attention by shaking her head.

"He wouldn't know. It's not something most people do know." She said. "It's a… a thing that has been there since everything started. I can't… I can't remember the word…" She furrowed her brows, thinking hard on what she was trying to say. "I'm sorry. I haven't had to tell people this before. You're a… A person that knows things."

"What?" Kevin asked.

"You…" She gritted her teeth. "Greek mythology. Telling the future. Apollo. Christian Luke. Umm…" She was scrounging for the word, or synonyms to it. Kevin spoke up tentatively, trying to think of the word too.

"Fortune teller?" He asked. She shook her head. Bobby thought for a minute before speaking next.

"Prophet?" He asked. Kai nodded, pointing in Bobby's direction a few times before speaking.

"Yes. Prophet. Kevin is supposed to be a prophet." She nodded. "The angels are looking for them all. They're trying to… To…" She shook her head. "To do something big."

"What do you mean something big?" Bobby asked.

"I don't know." She seemed a little different as she spoke those words, but Kevin decided to ignore that for now.

"Why?" He asked instead.

"Prophets can do things." She replied. "There's this thing… A rock… A readable rock…" She motioned with her hands as she spoke, pantomiming a flat, rounded rectangle. She pretended to write something on it, like scribbles or something. "I'm sorry, I just… I've gone without talking for so long…" She shrugged. "There are words that only prophets can read, and they're written on a rock. They want to find the rocks and… and take the prophets that can read them. They killed a lot of prophets on accident, in the beginning. Kevin is one of the last ones left."

"And how do you know all this?" Bobby asked.

"I've been chasing angels and demons since it all happened." She replied. There was no need for clarification on the word "it;" everyone knew what "it" was. The apocalypse. "Trying to find a way to stop this."

"It can't be stopped." Bobby replied. "This has already happened. We're stuck with it now."

"It can be made better." She argued. "I know it can."

"How do you know?"

"Because there has to be a way to change all of this." She insisted. "There has to be something. There needs to be something." She seemed determined in this. "We can keep demons out of us, as well as angels. There has to be a way to remove them once they arrive, and stop all of this. That's… that's the other reason why I'm here." She said. "You've been looking for me, and you've been helping." She motioned from Kevin to Bobby. "And you've actually come close a few times. I haven't ever come across the same person twice before, much less have them get so close to finding me, so I think I'm… I'm supposed to find you."

"Well that sounds like a load of horse shit." Bobby commented.

"Bobby," Kevin chided, but the man kept going.

"Destiny or fate or whatever doesn't exist. If it ever did, it's dead along with the rest of the world out there." Bobby pointed out.

"Angels don't think that." She argued. "They think that this was all… fate." She nodded a little when she said the word fate, as if committing it to memory. "They think this was supposed to happen, but differently. They were supposed to get a good place."

"Yeah, and how do you know what angels think?" Bobby said the words almost accusatory. Kai went silent for a moment, her mind scrounging for answers. "Well? How do you know so much?"

"I…" She thought hard. Was she trying to lie, or just trying to find the right words. "I asked one." She admitted. "Rudely. Painfully."

"You tortured one." Kevin simplified. Kai nodded solemnly.

"How in the hell did you torture an angel?" Bobby asked.

"I… Um…" She sought to find the right words. "I learned what could… keep them from leaving… lobsters… hunters… falling floors… tripwire…"

"Trap?" Kevin asked.

"Yes. Trap. I learned what could trap an angel." She said. "So I found a church and stole their oil."

"Oil?" Bobby asked. "What in the hell do you mean by oil? Gasoline? A nice vinaigrette?"

"No, I mean oil." She repeated. "Holy oil. Blessed. Special. A lot of churches have it. I took some and made a circle. When the angel stepped in to the circle, I trapped it in a ring of fire."

"Great, our angel trap is an old Johnny Cash song." Bobby muttered.

"I thought that if the oil trapped it, then the angel wouldn't like being burned with it either." She continued. "So I made a… A… Russian mixed drink…" She clenched her fist, trying to find the words again. "Bottle of oil plus rag." She explained, pantomiming throwing an object.

"You made a Molotov cocktail?" Bobby asked. She nodded, snapping her fingers.

"Yes! Molotov cocktail! With holy oil!"

"You Molotov'd an angel?" Kevin asked next. She nodded again.

"Yes! Yes! That's how I got my information!" She smiled brightly. "I would throw oil and matches on the angel, and hold the bottle as my big threat. Once I knew everything I threw it anyways, and afterwards threw a blade to make sure it would die." She motioned to one of her angelic blades for reference. "That's how I knew to look for you, how I knew you were a prophet."

"OK, I need to ask this now," Bobby interjected. He seemed almost… Annoyed? What was annoying him? "What in the hell is up with your talking thesaurus act?"

In truth, Kevin had been wondering the same thing. He just didn't know a polite way to ask. Apparently, Bobby didn't care about a polite way.

"Oh." She looked down a little, seeming almost ashamed at that question. "I haven't been around people since…" She shrugged. "Since this started. I haven't spoken in conversation with anyone since it started." She didn't meet eyes with either of them. "I forget words sometimes. I haven't had to use them for a long time." She pursed her lips, looking back up at them. "But if you can't… can't…" She looked frustrated. "If you have difficulties with this, then I will just leave. I have… have given the knowledge that I came to tell you. I don't have to stay more." She got up, still looking frustrated. Seconds later, all the color left her face as she gripped her side. She took a deep breath. Kevin rushed quickly to her side to help steady her. Kylie just took a stumbling step backwards in to the couch, shifting a blade to hold out at Kevin. Bobby reached forwards to put a hand on Kevin's chest, but the sight of the blade was enough to make him stop. He'd seen her skill with those blades. He knew to keep his distance.

"Hey," Kevin said, holding a hand out towards her. Her arm wavered a bit as she held the blade. Color had had yet to return to her face, but she still had that same look of determination. "Hey, it's OK. It's OK. I'm just trying to help you." He promised, moving Bobby's hand from him. He glanced over at the elder man, and saw a look of extreme caution. "You're still hurt. I want to make sure that you're OK. Can I take a look at your stitches?" She eyed him, keeping one grip firmly on her side.

"Who did them?" She asked. "Who made my stitches?" Kevin looked over to Bobby. "You?" She asked, glancing at the elder man. He nodded.

"Put that sticker away and I'll check them." He stated, but his voice had an edge to it. Kai looked… extremely hesitant to put it away.

"You can keep it in your hands." Kevin offered. "Just… Just don't stab us with it, OK? We just want to make sure that you're fine." She stared them both down, her eyes absolutely… intimidating. At least, to him she looked intimidating.

"I keep this." She repeated, motioning to the blade. Kevin nodded.

"You keep them both." He agreed. Bobby looked at him like he was nuts.

"Acceptable." She stated, putting the blade back behind her. She looked over at Bobby expectantly, waiting for him to move. Bobby looked between Kevin and Kai.

"You're nuts." He told Kevin. Kevin's response was just to look over at Kai. Her face was still extremely pale.

"Just do it." Kevin muttered. "Please." Bobby did as he asked, albeit with extreme hesitance. Once her stitches were back to a more acceptable level of fixed, she slumped back slightly into the couch.

"I'm done speaking." She stated plainly.

"What if we have more questions?" Bobby asked.

"I'm done speaking."

"That's not an acceptable answer."

"I am. Done. Speaking." She accentuated her words with a glare. Kevin caved after that, fearing she would leave if the argument continued.

"We'll take a break." He offered, looking between the Hunter and the… He wasn't certain how to define Kai. She was more than a girl or a woman, but was she a Hunter? He just didn't know. There seemed no other way to define her other than by her name.

"Fine." Bobby spat.

"Acc… Fine." She repeated Bobby's word awkwardly, yet firmly. Her blades returned back behind her body. "Break. Rest. Pause."

"Exactly." Kevin agreed, offering a nod. Bobby stalked out of the room angrily, leaving Kai and Kevin alone. The two sat across from each other with a sort of uneasy ease, if that made sense. They were alright with each other, but they were still strangers.

But something about her screamed that they weren't, not fully. Kevin just couldn't place what it was.


	7. There and Gone

"He does not like me." She said flatly.

"He doesn't like much of anyone, I think." Kevin admitted. Kai mulled over his words for a few moments before laughing a little. "If it's alright for me to ask… Why are you alone?"

"Circumstance." Kevin really wanted to ask how she didn't know the word prophet but completely understood the word circumstance, yet chose not to. He didn't know how to phrase it without sounding like an ass.

Then he thought of a more pressing question, one that could answer the alternate. "How long have you been alone?"

She didn't say anything. She didn't even look at him at that question. She looked in to the distance a little, her eyes glassing over. But there was pain in those eyes, too; pain that looked much too deeply rooted for someone of their age, but at the same time pain that made sense given the world they lived in now.

"A while." She answered quietly. Kevin had a feeling that she'd probably been alone since this all began, if not longer. If she had been by herself for a certain period of time, without interactions or conversations with others…

It was just lonely. Kevin didn't even want to think on it further. All it lead to was loneliness and probably more stories of pain than he could have imagined. He'd had his mom, at least up to a certain point. Had she even had that?

Had she ever?

"I'm sorry." He said softly. However as he spoke, he could see her body clearly stiffen. She turned to him in a mix of hurt and anger.

"Don't pity me." She commanded. "I do not need it." She looked him dead in the eyes as she spoke, and he could see the fire behind her words. Somehow, that small apology from him had become a large misstep to her.

The worst part was that his automatic reaction was to want to apologize again. "OK." He said cautiously. She still stared him down, her face still so stern.

Thankfully, Bobby came back in. He tossed a water bottle in Kai's direction. "Drink." He ordered. She caught it with a surprising amount of ease, followed by a wince at the sudden movements on her part. Bobby handed Kevin a water bottle as well before resuming his seat.

Bobby and Kai watched each other cautiously. Neither of them quite trusted each other, leading both to act as though the other had the means to their destruction. Kai still drank the water, though. That was hopefully a good sign.

"Why are you still here?" Bobby asked. Kevin felt shocked by the sudden rudeness of the question. He offered the man an angry look. "What? She said she didn't have to stay more. She said she was done talking. Why is she still here?"

"She also doesn't have to leave." Kevin pointed out.

"And who decided that?" The other man asked.

"I did." Kevin was surprised at his sudden boldness. Bobby just raised an eyebrow at him.

"And when did you become the man in charge around here?" Bobby asked, glaring daggers at the two of them. "If I remember correctly, this is my house. The two of you are technically guests here."

"Come on, Bobby," Kevin pleaded. "You wouldn't. You know you wouldn't."

"Wouldn't what? Protect myself?" The man asked. "She brought angels with her, has decided that she's done sharing potentially important information, and apparently enjoys torturing and killing them by herself with daggers. You're supposed to be some sort of freaking Prophet," he pointed at Kevin for emphasis. "Which would've been nice to know beforehand, in all honesty. I don't know much about them, but I'm pretty certain that it's nothing good. So, yeah." Bobby looked at them both sternly. "I think I do have the right to make the final say around here, not you," another look at Kevin. "And certainly not the living ghost here." He looked at Kai after that. Kevin felt doubt in his mind. What if Singer really did kick them both out? Where would they go? What if they died?

Would she even want his company, or would she disappear again?

She let out a huff of air, rising slowly. "Kai, wait," Kevin started, but she cut him off.

"I am unwelcome." She stated plainly. "You should not pay for that. I will leave." She kept her blades close to her body as she stood. Nobody made a move towards her. Even though Kevin wanted to, he'd seen what she would do in response. That would only make things worse.

She walked extremely slowly – obviously in immense amounts of pain – but she made her way to the door. She offered them a cursory glance back. "For what it is worth, I do hope you remain… remain hidden." She took a small breath. "Remain safe." She raised her arm tentatively to grasp at something around her neck, took another breath, and walked out the door. It closed firmly behind her.

The second the door closed, it was as though some sort of spell had been lifted from Kevin's legs. He started moving quickly towards the door. Maybe he could stop her if he moved fast enough. She was fast, sure, but she was also injured. He could probably catch up to her.

Bobby's hand snagged him by the shoulder before he could reach the door, though. "Don't even think about it." The man warned.

"What the hell, man?!" Kevin exclaimed. "She's injured! We've been looking for her for months!"

"She'll be back." Bobby promised.

"How in the hell do you know?"

"Because she's injured." He replied. "And because she came all this way. Just wait it out, call her bluff."

"And if she dies?" Kevin challenged. "If she doesn't come back? What if the angels come back for her?" Bobby's expression hardened, looking a mix of disgruntled and furious. He didn't like what Kevin was saying, but… But Kevin was right. Her going out there on her own was dangerous. Bobby's place was warded. They could stay safe there.

"Fine." He muttered. "Freaking teenagers trying to tell me what to do." He walked over to the wall and pulled off his favored gun, Rufus. "Freaking teenagers talking about prophets." A glare at Kevin again with those words. They would be speaking about that in-depth in the future. "Freaking teenagers torturing and killing angels with knives." He sling the strap over his shoulder, and pulled his scarf up over the lower half of his face. "Freaking teenagers. This is why I never had any freaking kids." He stalked towards the door. "Stay here." He ordered.

Waiting for him to come back felt like an eternity to Kevin.

But after maybe forty minutes, he did. Alone. "What happened?" Kevin asked. It had been too quiet out there for a skirmish to have happened. She hadn't been gone more than five minutes before Bobby went after her. So why was he alone?

"Hell if I know." He muttered. "She must be insanely fast. She's gone."

"How is she gone?" There wasn't anything for miles around them; it was as though they were in the middle of a desert.

"I circled the goddamn property up to about a mile or so out. She's not here." He sounded annoying as he put up Rufus.

"That's not possible."

"You're damn right it's not." He agreed. "Losing her in a town, that's normal. Plenty of places to hide. Losing her to a forest, same thing. Losing her out here?" He shook his head. "Something's up." He turned to glare at Kevin. "And I have questions for you."

"Me?"

"Yes, you!" He definitely sounded angry. "How long have you known you were a goddamn prophet?"

"I don't even know what that means." Kevin said quickly, raising his hands. "I learned the same time you did."

"And the thing about the halos looking for your prophet ass?"

"I have the same tattoos you do." Kevin replied, turning to pull down the back of his shirt. The design was a series of enochian characters within a circle. It had gone into circulation not long after the world went to shit. They stopped angels from tracking you down. If one did find you, they had to burn the tattoo off before they got a chance at making you say yes.

Kevin had found someone to do it for him, along with the anti-demon possession one. They both had hurt like hell.

"All of this information is news to me too, Bobby." Kevin said. "I don't know what's happening. I don't know why all this is happening. Kai, however, DOES know, and now she's disappeared." His voice sounded stronger than normal as he spoke. "So if we want answers again, we're going to have to find her."

"Why are you obsessed with this girl?" Bobby asked. "We have what she told us. I have lore books. We can do our own damn research without her, now. Hell, we know how to trap an angel because of her. We can just interrogate one like she did!" He sounded almost… annoyed? Yeah, annoyed. Annoyed that a girl he hadn't even known of before had figured out how to trap and torture and angel before he had.

It almost made Kevin laugh. Almost.

Kevin wanted to argue that they needed her still, there was more information, but he realized that it was a hollow argument. He didn't know how much more information she had. He couldn't guarantee that she would tell them. From her disappearing act, he was pretty certain that Bobby didn't think she was 100% human at all. He had nothing.

He just… he wanted to find her again. That was it.

"Fine." Kevin said. "We'll do it your way."

"That's what I thought." Bobby muttered, walking past him towards his books. He muttered to himself as he walked. "Fucking disappearing teenagers. Fucking prophet teenagers. Fucking idjits bringing angels to my doorstep."

He was still muttering swears about the situation as he returned, a pile of books in hand. He set them down on the small table. "Get to work, prophet." He muttered, pulling one off the top. Kevin hesitated for maybe a moment before following suit. It felt like he was doing homework again.

Funny, if he had to chose between this situation and homework in a normal life, he would gladly chose the homework now.


	8. Poof

Kylie "Kai" Dillinger was transported instantly after the door closed behind her. Travelling to one place took time, but travelling back? That was easy. The amulet she wore made it that way.

She had Marv to thank for that. She didn't quite know who he was, or what he was. But she knew he was good. She knew he was lonely. She knew he saved her life.

She'd been on her own for over a year when Marv had found her. She hadn't talked to people. She'd picked up angel blades after… after that night. She didn't like thinking of that night though. That night didn't have a place in her focus right now.

When it had, she'd almost died. She'd been on a rampage to kill anything not human. She'd gotten good with those blades, and gotten good fast. That bothered her. She wanted to tear through these things, but she also wanted to die.

So she fought with anger. She almost got her wish.

There were seven demons. She didn't see the seventh. All she remembered were lights out.

She woke up with brain damage. That was what Marv had told her. He'd brought her back, but the hit to her head caused her brain damage. She didn't remember much of her past now. She remembered bits and pieces of her family. She remembered flashes of things. She remembered a young boy on a playground with bronzer skin and inquisitive eyes. He had shaggy black hair.

She remembered that night, too. That was not fun. She wished she didn't.

She remembered what she learned after Marv saved her. That, she remembered quite clearly. She remembered learning sign language. She remembered not knowing many words. She still didn't know many words (and had difficulty retaining the newer ones. Images were better).

Her brain worked oddly now. She understood that. She observed it clearly in her… her…. Her words with Bobby and Kevin. (Marv taught you the right word, Kylie. Marv taught you that. What was the word? If you ask him he will have you read that big book of words again.)

Seeing the way she differed hurt her heart. She felt normal with Marv, because he was not normal either. But being with normal people… That was… odd. Not usual. Discomfort? No, that was close… difficult?

Finding the right word was difficult. The word was uncomfortable, though. She smiled a little as she looked around. She remembered the word. It was one of the longer ones, those were always difficult.

Marv had told her that they were housed in a… a cave. A cave filled with books. It was a part of a tunnel that had collapsed in a… big hill. Rocky hill.

Mountain.

They were in a tunnel, turned into a cave, in a mountain. It had been abandoned for years.

Marv had moved millions of books here, and sealed it off from the world. It would take effort to get here without Marv's permission.

He'd brought her back with the amulet. The same one she wore now. Magic. As she thought the word, she made the sign with one hand. Fist at her chest. Open it, pushing the hand out slightly. Marv had described the movement verbally as "poof."

Poof. Magic. Like how she disappeared from in front of Bobby's door to the interior of the cave. Poof.

Kylie put a hand on her side. It hurt still, a lot. Marv would know how to fix it better. She looked for the drum. They didn't talk much, Marv was afraid of the angels hearing. But they used the drum to signal when one of them was back.

Kylie pounded the drum. Four short pounds. Three long ones. Two long ones. One short. HOME.

Marv appeared not long after that. He stopped when he saw her injured, his hands moving frantically. _**What happened?**_

Kylie needed her hand on her side. She couldn't sign as easily. "Angels." She said quietly. "Found the… prophet."

Marv approached her, and guided her to the couch. The help was nice. Once she was seated Marv examined her injuries more closely.

 _ **What happened?**_ He signed.

 _ **Angels.**_ She repeated. _**They found me.**_

 _ **Were they looking for you or for the prophet?**_

 _ **I don't know. I didn't get a chance to ask questions. They're both dead.**_

 _ **Did they cause this?**_

 _ **One of them landed a slash.**_ She pantomimed the movement with her own blade across the region, the weapon just inches above her body.

 _ **Who did these stitches?**_

 _ **A man.**_ Not the prophet. Bobby. She thought for a moment. _**Older man, around your age. Angry. Unfriendly. Cautious.**_

 _ **Where was this?**_

 _ **Where you thought.**_ She smiled a little with that. Marv was very rarely wrong. He had guessed that the prophet would be somewhere in South Dakota. It had taken some time, but once Kylie had learned of someone seeking her out it became easier. Marv had drawn her a picture of the prophet beforehand.

She knew it could not have been coincidence that she had met him before.

 _ **Why did you go?**_

 _ **To warn them.**_ Truth, almost. The warning had been intentional, but there had been another reason.

She'd seen him before, in the before-before. Before all of this. She was certain of it. A memory of a bronze boy with shaggy black hair. He had a book. Kylie couldn't remember the title.

With it being one of the few memories of before she had left, she held on to it dearly.

 _ **What if more angels follow?**_

 _ **They have the tattoos. Everybody does.**_

 _ **The angels still found you.**_

 _ **Bad luck.**_ Kylie had, indeed, made a name for herself among the angels. She tortured one, after all. None of them liked her alive.

Marv signed nothing for a while, examining her stitches and putting a few other things on the area. Clear liquid that burned when it touched the injury. A padded cloth, specifically for injuries. Stretchy fabric that wrapped around her waist to keep the other cloth in place.

Rubbing alcohol.

Gauze.

She wasn't certain as to the word for the last object.

She remembered they were medical supplies. Medicine. Middle finger on the right hand pressed into the palm of her left. Pivot side to side. Medicine.

She hadn't done this around Bobby or Kevin. It had been difficult not to. She wasn't certain they would understand, and she didn't want to give anything away.

 _ **How does that feel?**_ Marv asked, pulling away a little.

 _ **Pain, but good pain.**_ She replied. _**Healing pain.**_

 _ **Good.**_ Marv nodded. _**You should rest. That injury will need time to heal.**_

 _ **How are our supplies?**_

 _ **We're fine.**_ Marv assured her. _**Rest. Recover. Read the dictionary.**_ THAT WAS THE WORD. The book of words. Dictionary. Kylie always had a difficult time remembering it.

Marv walked over to one of the many bookshelves. He pulled off three books: one in written, one in sign language, and one that was meant to be written in. It already had a pencil attached to it.

I knew the routine. Learn the words. Write the words. Write them in sentences. Learn the sign. Become comfortable with the sign. Write the words in Morse code.

It was repetitive work, but it helped. I would not be as… speaking. Long word for knowing many words. Art… you… late… Articulate. I would not be as articulate without Marv's help.

 _ **Thank you.**_ She signed. He smiled, placing the books on a nearby table. Then he went back to whatever he was doing before.

Kylie looked at the paper and the book, thinking for a minute. Names. Kevin. Bobby. She could sound those out. She could write those.

K. E. (Was there an H? His name did make the "eh" sound. There might be an H) H. V. I. N.

B. O. B. B (was there a third B? No. No word has three B's). E. Y.

Wait… She had seen those names in books that Marv made her read. She had spelled them wrong.

K. E. V. I. N. There wasn't an H. It just made the "eh" sound anyways.

B. O. B. B. Y. Bobby with a Y was for men. Bobbi with an I was for women.

She signed their names a few times, getting a feel for them under their fingers. Bobby was easy. Kevin was less easy, but she was used to it.

 _None of this is easy._ She thought. None of it was easy because even though she had left, she still wanted to go back and see Kevin again.


	9. Writing Down Questions

Kevin and Bobby read up on everything. Disappearing women bearing important news. Prophets. Angels and their connection to prophets. Everything they could imagine looking up on, they did.

Bobby was able to find evidence backing up Kai's torture tactic. That bugged him. "How did she know about that?" He muttered. Neither of them had a good answer for that. Bobby thought she might be working with someone else, but they didn'st know who or how. They knew nothing about this girl's history. How could they figure out who she would work with?

The more research they did, the more questions were written down. Literally, written down. Kevin had pulled out a notebook and started writing down every question he could think of.

He found himself writing down memories in the margins. He didn't quite understand why they were important, but they wouldn't go away with the questions he wrote.

 _What is a prophet?_ _ **Him and his mom weren't particularly religious. They didn't really go to church. Kevin's mom had had a picture of him being baptized, though. Kevin suspects that had been more of his father's idea.**_ _A prophet is a figure from multiple religions/beliefs. They are supposed to speak the words and truths of their religion's god(s). Historically speaking, they were supposed to have been high on a somewhat-mysterious cocktail of drugs. Apparently that wasn't always the case. Some of them were psychic, some of them were really prophets._ He had never predicted the future. He had never heard the voice of something else whispering in his head. He only heard his own voice, his own determination to accomplish tasks.

 _What makes prophets? What makes the measure of a man?_ That was a quote from a book, or at the very least a loose paraphrasing of it. He couldn't remember the book now. He only remembered asking his mother what the question meant. There don't seem to be a lot of good answers for this. Maybe it varies by what religion they're supposed to be a part of?

 _What defines a prophet?_ -Christianity. _What defines a person?_ _ **An English teacher had asked them all that one day. Kevin was the youngest in the class. It was a difficult question for him to think about.**_ _A prophet in Christianity is someone who speaks for God. Refer to bible for more information._ _ **Kevin hadn't answered the question. It was the only time that he hadn't raised his hand in class to answer a question. Everybody noticed subconsciously, but nobody said anything outright.**_

 _What can travel at extraordinary speeds?_ _ **He was a child. He was reading a book on the playground. There was a girl. She was playing by herself. She had long brown hair. The color was familiar. He was reading about superheroes.**_ Vampires. Extinct. Werewolves. Extinct. Every creature he listed was extinct. _**Kevin had wanted to be a superhero then. Had he asked the girl to play superheroes with him?**_

 _What can teleport?_ That memory was sticking with him. It was important. It was defining. It was… It was the same one he'd remembered when he'd seen her. _**Kai-Kai.**_ It was a nickname. Kai was a nickname.

 _Who is Kai really?_ Kai-Kai. _**"Kai-Kai! Time to go!" An older man still. One he didn't recognize. He was certain he could guess. Her father. How did I know her before? The playground. They met at the playground. He had moved as a child. Why did I find her again? Why did she find me again? How in the hell do I still remember her, let alone recognize her?!**_

 _What happened to her?_ _ **Bright childlike eyes were gone now.**_

 _What happened to the world?_ Nobody had childlike eyes anymore.

 _What does she have against angels?_ Nobody had good memories of angels. His first encounter had been long ago. They were too busy fighting demons to pay him any attention. _ **Lots of children disappeared that night. The adults did their best to cover it all up. Nobody knew who escaped, who was taken, and who was dead.**_

 _How did she learn to torture an angel?_ Angels were supposed to be good things. They were supposed to be holy and heavenly things. They didn't always feel like that now. _Why would she torture an angel?_ Nobody liked angels that much, but it took a special kind of anger and boldness to torture one.

 _Why am I a prophet?_ _ **"You're always going to be my special boy, Kevin." His mom.**_

 _How did she leave?_ She did that the last times he saw her too, just disappeared into thin air.

 ** _Why me? Why all of this now?_** Those were the same words he thought after the first explosions.

Eventually Kevin had to close his notebook. He'd looked at it enough for a while.

They got some information, more than they'd had in a while, but they didn't see Kai again.

Not for a few months, at least.


	10. Harvelles

Bobby and Kevin moved. Angels had died there, after all, and the idea of safety in numbers was becoming more and more of a requirement. Kevin and Bobby could both survive on their own, but it wasn't just them on their own anymore. They couldn't ignore that the rest of the world still existed. They couldn't ignore the civilians that were still there.

That was what Bobby and Kevin became – soldiers. Kevin wasn't the best soldier, but he was better than no soldier. Bobby was the leader, though. He was a stubborn, grumpy, surly, natural-born leader. And he could be kind.

He could be so kind to people.

It was strange, watching it. He'd seen the man be nice once or twice before, sure. Here, have the last can of fruit. I'll trade off watches with you. Little things that just showed Kevin that the man didn't necessarily hate him anymore, but was actually just a little more comfortable with him.

But he hadn't seen anything from Bobby Singer that he would truly consider as kind in the sense that it was extremely different from his normal gruff demeanor. Not until after they met up with the Harvelles.

There were three of them. They were a family. They were actually the reason that Bobby and Kevin left.

They came with banging on the door. Bobby was out. Kevin was in the living room, doing more research. The noise at the door woke him from what he called his study-trance, though.

"BOBBY!" A woman shouted. Not Kai. An older woman, with urgency in her voice. "BOBBY SINGER, GET YOUR ASS TO THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW!"

Kevin prepped himself with his gun, taking hesitant steps towards the door. He threw it open and saw three people. A tall, bulky man that looked like a slightly younger an angrier Bobby. A woman, about Kevin's size, that looked around Bobby's age as well. She was in the forefront of the group, and had short light brown hair. The final person was another woman, maybe a little older than Kevin. She was just a little shorter than Kevin. Her hair was a dark blonde, like the man's.

"Who're you?" The woman in front asked. She sounded angry and stubborn and like a female Bobby. "Where's Bobby?"

"Who are you?" Kevin replied.

"I'm Ellen Harvelle, now where the hell is Bobby!" She demanded, pushing her way inside. The other two followed. "Bobby!" She shouted.

"He's not here." Kevin finally said. "He… He's out. He's out on a food run. He'll be back in a day or two."

"Great. We'll wait here then." Ellen decided. "Jo, Bill, take a seat. We'll wait till Bobby gets back."

And that was how Kevin met the Harvelles.

Bobby was back three days later, in fact, with enough food to get the two of them through another four months. Good scavenging run. Lucky scavenging run, in fact.

With the Harvelles added to their numbers, this new stash would maybe get the five of them through one and a half; two if they rationed carefully. That didn't account for their water supplies.

Bobby looked around the room in surprise for a moment. "Ellen. Bill. Jo." He greeted. "Special occasion?" He glanced over at Kevin with an eyebrow raised. Kevin just shrugged. None of them had really said much to each other while they were here. The Harvelles didn't trust Kevin much. Kevin didn't trust them much. But they all trusted Bobby.

"Bobby, we need to talk." Bill said.

"Alright." He agreed. Bobby glanced over at Kevin. He hoisted the bag off of his shoulder, handing it to the younger man. "Here. Mind putting these away into storage?"

"Sure." Kevin took the bag from him. He headed over to what used to be the kitchen, able to hear bits and pieces of the conversation between Bobby and the Harvelles.

"When did you all get here?"

"Three days ago." Ellen answered. Bobby didn't say anything for a moment.

"Were you there?" He asked. I didn't know where there was, but it didn't sound good.

"Yeah." She said. "It's gone, Bobby."

"How many made it out?"

"We don't know. We…" She paused for a minute. "Bobby, we're not even quite certain how we got out."

"What do you mean?"

"There was a figure!" Jo piped up.

"Joanna Beth stay quiet."

"No. I'm done staying quiet about this!" Jo argued. "I swear, I saw someone. Someone that was fighting angels and saving people."

"What you saw couldn't have been real!" Bill finally argued. His voice bellowed angrily. There was a tense silence for a moment. "I'm sorry. But nobody can just use knives and kill angels. Nobody can set an angel on fire. It's bullets or running, and you know that."

Kevin stilled at those words. He didn't bother tuning into the rest of the conversation. All he could think of was Kai. She used angelic blades to kill angels. She actually could light one on fire with one of her cocktails. She could've been there.

Kevin ran out from the storeroom. "What town?" He asked, looking straight at Jo. "Did you get a look at her? Did you see her?"

"Who?" Ellen asked.

"Kevin, stop." Bobby ordered. Jo answered anyways.

"Not well, but I knew it was a girl." She said. "She had a grey cloak thing, but her hair kinda slipped through. It was long and brown. Her hands were thinner too, thinner than most guy hands." That sounded correct. It sounded like her.

"Who in the hell are you talking about?" Ellen asked again. She sounded exasperated.

"The girl! The one that killed the angels!" Jo sounded triumphant. "She's real! I know it!" She looked around the room, smiling. Ellen looked from Kevin to Bobby.

"What's going on?" She asked. Bobby let out a sigh.

"There's a girl we've been trying to find." He started. "It… It's a long story. Why don't we all sit down?"

So, the five of them sat and talked. Jo looked more triumphant at each sentence from Bobby and Kevin. Bill looked troubled at it all. Ellen just looked concerned.

"Alright, let me take a moment to summarize all of this real quick." Ellen said. "You," she pointed at Kevin. "Met this girl twice, went looking, and found him," she pointed at Bobby.

"Yes." Kevin said.

"And you two worked together to try and find her."

"Yes." Bobby agreed.

"And she ended up killing two halos to find you two?"

"Yes."

"Then dropped some information that we'll get back to later, and vanished into thin air pretty much?"

"That's the short of it." Bobby confirmed.

"And you're supposed to be some sort of prophet?" Bill asked Kevin. Kevin nodded.

"Yeah, that's what Kai said." Kevin agreed. There was a heavy silence in the room for a few moments.

"I told you she was real." Jo muttered again.

"Bobby, why didn't you tell us sooner?!" She asked.

"I asked ya'll for help finding this girl a while back." He pointed out. Ellen looked as though she'd been told that angels were nice.

"You didn't tell me that she could kill angels!" She argued. "You didn't tell me the rest of this!"

"I didn't want to worry you guys."

"That's bullshit, Bobby, and you know it!" She shouted.

"Ellen, calm down." Bill said firmly.

"Calm down? How can you be calm?!" She sounded extremely unhappy. Jo glanced over at Kevin, and cocked her head towards the door. The message was clear.

They slipped out quietly, leaving the others to argue. Once they were outside, Jo gripped Kevin's shoulders tightly.

"I saw her disappear." She told him quickly.

"What?"

"You said that she left and disappeared. She was injured. She couldn't have made it that far. But you guys never saw her again."

"Yeah."

"I saw her do it too."

"You saw her do it?"

"Yeah." She looked away for a moment. "I didn't tell my mom about that. At first when she did that…" She pursed her lips. "Not a lot of things can kill an angel. When she had blades in her hands, I thought she was another angel. I thought she was a good one."

"Good angels don't exist." Kevin reminded her.

"I know. That's why I never told mom or dad." She thought for a few moments.

"Jo, do you know how she disappeared?" Kevin asked. "Do you know where she went?"

"I don't know where she went." Jo explained. "Hell, I don't even know how she got to the Roadhouse in the first place." Shit. The Roadhouse had been a nice sanctuary. It was indoors, it was warded up to the nines. Angels hadn't gone near it before.

Not until now.

"I'm sorry." Kevin said.

"It's… It's OK." Jo replied. "Because I… I think I know how she disappeared."

"What?"

"I saw her reach up before she did." Jo said, pantomiming the movement. She reached towards her neck. "I couldn't see what she had grabbed, but I know her hand came up to her neck. A few seconds later, she was gone." Kevin thought back. Had there been something around her neck?

It had been too long. He didn't remember seeing anything. Ever.

"Is there anything else you remember?" He asked. "Anything? Even the smallest thing?" Jo nodded.

"There was writing, on the inside of her cloak." She said. "I saw it for just a minute. It looked like wardings." Smart. Absolutely smart. What the wardings were for, he wouldn't know without seeing them. But still, it was smart.

"Good." Kevin nodded. "Was there anything else?"

"They recognized her." Jo replied solemnly. "I watched her kill an angel. It saw her face. It recognized her. It…" She shook her head. "It wanted to capture her for information. It saw something on her it recognized."

Before they could say more, Kevin and Jo were called back inside. If angels were hitting their sanctuaries, then people would need help. They might even have more information. So the five of them packed up the supplies, and headed east. There was a Hooverville under cover of trees, very well guarded. It would be a good place to start.

Kevin couldn't help but do one more thing before they left, though. In case she came back here.

He took a piece of paper and a pencil.

 _I know you were at Street Home._

 _See you in the treeroots._

 _-Fortune Teller_

He hid it on the couch, in between the cushions.

He just hoped she understood.


	11. Guilt

They made their home in a "fortress" under the trees. Optimal coverage from incoming angel meteors, shelters could blend into the scenery, people could develop their own tunnels in and out, and they had the area warded as much as possible.

It was one of their most heavily fortified "towns," and Kevin and Bobby were one of maybe seven soldiers. The town held 84 people total.

Everybody knew what to do, but very few had ever done it before. Most of these people had survived off luck and running. There were some from Roadhouse that made there way here, and some that just wandered in and out. Nobody else from Roadhouse saw the same figure Jo did, though.

Either that or they just weren't talking about it.

So Kevin just had to hope that Kai found his note before any angels did.

He didn't have to wait long, though. Only a week and a half.

He was awoken in the middle of the night by a hand over his mouth. His eyes opened automatically, and he saw…

Her. In that same cloak that Jo had described. It was grey, like the rest of the landscape around them. And it was definitely warded on the inside.

She stared at him, her face like stone. She shook her head once, firmly, lifting a finger to her lips. The message was clear. _Silence_. Kevin nodded in agreement, and Kai moved her hand.

"Follow." She ordered quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. She moved off of him without a noise. Kevin sat up slowly in turn, looking around the room. Bobby shared this space with him, and was cuddling his favorite gun. The man was still snoring, though. He was still asleep.

She moved silently out of the room. Kevin offered Bobby one last glance before following her. She wove her way through the town, reaching its outskirts quickly. She didn't say another word until the town was far behind them.

What she did say, though, shocked Kevin.

She whirled around like a storm, anger seething through her. "You left words." She hissed, her hands fidgeting as she spoke.

"Yeah." Kevin agreed. There was no way around that. He'd left words. He'd left a note.

"Angels could have found it first."

"I know."

"You are a foolish prophet." She determined, staring at him angrily. Kevin couldn't help it at that point, though. He smiled.

Kai didn't really receive the smile well. She shoved him, her anger mounting. "Why?!" She asked, her voice a shouting whisper. "Why does this bring you happiness?!" The fidgeting in her hands had extended into her arms, becoming more pronounced as she grew angrier.

"Because you came back." He replied, still smiling. It had worked. It had actually worked. "You came back for us." She took a few steps back, looking stubborn.

"Duty." She stated.

"Duty?"

"I…" Her fingers twitched. "I came back for duty." Her voice was quieter, but tightly wound. It was as controlled as the rest of her was now.

"You were at Roadhouse." Kevin stated. She nodded.

"Angels." She explained. "I had to… too… protect people. I had to make the angels exit. Retreat. Disappear. Leave." Kevin nodded in understanding.

"You saved them." He summed up. She shook her head.

"Not enough." She argued. "I… I brought them."

"What do you mean?"

"I was making lies." She tried. "About you. Angels know I'm looking for prophets. The didn't know you weren't there. They didn't know I found you."

Kevin took a moment to try and piece together her words. "You were protecting us." He summed up first. She nodded. "You were lying to the angels." Another nod. "You made them think I was at Roadhouse." Another nod, sadder.

"I did not know they would hurt it." She admitted. "Roadhouse was strong. I thought it would be good."

"And then you saved the people there." Kevin summed up. She looked down.

"Not enough." She repeated. She sat down, and after a few moments Kevin sat next to her.

"Why are you here?" Kevin finally asked. "You could've left. You could've run."

"I did run."

"I meant away from here." Kevin clarified. "You could've left me here. You could've not come." She looked down a little. Kevin watched her stare at her hands, and saw a distinctive movement. Her right hand came up to her chin, jerking away suddenly before landing hard in front of her left shoulder. Her thumb and index finger were extended, but the rest of her hand was in a tight fist.

"Guilty." She muttered, looking back up at him. When she saw his gaze on her hands, she jerked it down quickly. "I was guilty. Angels hate me. Angels want me to… leave. Disappear. Gone forever." She said. "Angels want me. Angels saw you because of that. I… I am guilty."

"The angels are chasing you." Kevin tried. She nodded. "They want to kill you. You think you led them to me and Bobby."

"I know." She interrupted. Kevin sat on that for a while, letting the information sift through his brain. There was one more question he still had.

"Why are you telling me all of this?" He asked. The last time he'd asked her questions, she hadn't wanted to answer. This time, she answered without hesitation; she willingly was offering information as best as she could.

She thought hard for a few moments, trying to find the right words. Her hands made sideways peace signs, and she moved them in parallel circles around each other. "Care." She said, lowering her hands. "I care."

Before she could say anymore, a confident voice crowed out from behind them. "I knew it!" They both turned, Kai standing automatically in between the person and Kevin. He could see her blades out and prepared.

He could also see the person they were looking at.

"Wait!" Kevin said quickly, putting a hand on her arm. She flinched away automatically. "Kai, this is Jo Harvelle." As Kevin said her name, Jo took a few slow steps forwards. She hadn't expected blades to be pointed at her.

"Jo Harvelle." Kai repeated. Jo nodded.

"You saved my life back at Roadhouse." Jo told her. "I saw you. I knew you were real."

"Roadhouse. Jo Harvelle." Kai thought for a few moments before lowering her blades. "Not an angel."

"Not an angel." Jo nodded in confirmation. Kai put her blades away, stashing them back under her sleeves.

"You followed." Kai said. Jo shook her head.

"No, I was just wandering around. I couldn't sleep." She said. "I heard you guys talking and followed the sound. What are you doing out here?"

"Talking." Kai stated. The word sounded obvious from her.

"She had information to tell us." Kevin explained. "It's alright, Jo. We'll start heading back in a little bit. You go on ahead, and we'll meet you."

"No." Both women said at the same time. Kevin looked at the both of them in surprise. Jo just looked confused at Kai.

"No?" Jo asked. Kai nodded.

"Kai, it's alright. You don't have to be alone." Kevin told her. "You're safe here. You know a lot. You can tell the others, we can do something to protect people better." Kai just shook her head again.

"No." She repeated.

"Why not?"

"I need to return." Kai said. "I came for a… two reasons." Kevin's mind was spinning. Guilt was the first reason. What was the second? Caring?

"Look, just stay with us for a day." Jo offered. "You're thin. You've been travelling a lot. Just rest, then you can leave." Kai shook her head again.

"No." She repeated, looking at Jo. "You were at Roadhouse?" She asked. Jo nodded one more time. Kevin could see something change in Kai's stance.

"I am sorry." Kai promised. "Tell no one."

"What do you mean?" Jo asked, advancing towards them quickly. Kai reached back, gripping Kevin's arm tightly.

"Kai?" Kevin asked. He could see her other arm moving towards her neck.

"No!" Jo shouted, jumping for them. Her hands met Kai's arm at the same time as they… they…

Kevin felt like the world warped around them for a moment, bending and twisting until in an instant it had reshaped. The three of them fell backwards, landing hard on solid stone.

Solid stone?

Kevin scrambled up and away quickly, looking around. The forest was gone. Instead they were in… Hell, he didn't even know. He knew he it wasn't well lit. He knew that he couldn't see the sky, or any trees. He knew it looked like rock or stone.

"What the hell?" Jo asked, her voice echoing in the area. Kai jumped at the noise, pressing a hand to both Kevin and Jo's mouths.

"Shhhhhh." She whispered. Jo moved her hand away.

"Where in the hell did yo-" she didn't finish her sentence. Kai clapped a hand on her mouth again, and another behind her head.

"Shhhh." She repeated, looking angrily at Jo. "Silence." She didn't move her hands until Jo nodded. After that, Kai looked over at Kevin. He nodded once. He knew the drill.

Kai walked away from the both of them, towards a… was that a drum? Yeah, it was a drum. Kai picked up a stick next to it, and hit the drum in a pattern. Ten whacks in total. She set the stick back down gently after that.

Kevin and Jo shared a glance. Neither of them understood what was going on. They just knew they would have to wait.

They didn't have to wait long though until another figure appeared. It was a man. He wasn't really that tall, and had a grey and white curly beard that matched his grey and white curly hair. He also wore a grey cloak, similar to Kai's.

He stopped when he saw Kevin and Jo, looking from them to Kai. She made some motions that they couldn't see, but whatever they were they made sense to the other man.

He looked back at Kevin and Jo, a concerned look in his eyes. "Ah crap." He said.


	12. Blurred Memories

Kevin was still with Michael. He was still working on a way to keep the Rift between the worlds open. That was his focus- open another Rift; a better one. He had to focus on that. He was tired, but he had to focus. He couldn't allow any distractions.

Mary had been a distraction. She was moved to one of the most warded cells in the compound. Michael wasn't certain whether or not anyone would try to come for her, but he didn't want to risk it. She was a valuable asset. She was still providing useful information as to life and society on the other side, apparently.

Kevin hadn't seen her in a while. He wasn't permitted to see her anymore. He was supposed to focus and work, that was his mission. Improve the spell. Make it better. Get everyone through.

See his wife again.

Earn themselves some peace in their lives.

Thoughts like that were what spurred him on. All she wanted was peace for people. All she worked towards was peace for people. Protection for people.

She… She…

Kevin's head started to erupt in pain. She'd wanted peace. She believed in a better world. She… She… She'd worked with an angel too. She'd been alright with working with an angel. She'd believed that not everything was as black and white as we thought.

Angels had… hadn't… had? Hadn't. They hadn't been what executed her. It was demons. An angel was trying to save her. An angel had tried and failed.

He felt the memory coming on him vividly, almost painfully. They were running. A horde of angels and demons had started fighting out in… somewhere. They had to run. They couldn't survive.

She'd stopped. She had stopped, and Kevin hadn't noticed. She was usually faster than him. She had been right behind him. Kevin had turned to check just in time to see her die. It'd been a… a…

An angel?

No, Michael said that it was a demon. He could see the demon when he looked. It was dark. It had horns. It stabbed her with a blade. It stabbed her in the stomach. Afterwards, it looked over at Kevin and smiled. It's eyes were sharp and intelligent.

He blinked, and the demon wasn't a demon anymore. The demon was a person. Tall. Dark. Armored. Silver blade. It stabbed Kylie in the stomach. It looked over at Kevin and smiled. Its eyes were familiar, in his mind. Familiar to something now.

Kevin gripped his head in pain, groaning.

"Prophet!" Michael boomed. Kevin did his best to right himself, but the pain in his head was getting to be a lot. He'd just been looking at the tablet for too long. He'd just been looking for too long.

But when he closed his eyes, he couldn't tell who he was seeing. A demon, or an angel? He could barely see Kylie in the memory anymore. It was too confusing, too much…

"Prophet!" Michael shouted again, this time right next to him. Kevin looked up at him. For a moment, when he looked up he was looking back through the memory. He was looking at Michael, smirking at him from afar. Kevin blinked, and it was a demon that looked a surprising amount like Michael.

"You…" Kevin took a ragged breath, trying to get his brain back under control. "I saw you…" He started. He could think clearly for once. He hadn't been thinking clearly in… God, he didn't even know how long. What was he doing here? Why was he here? He left people behind. Good people.

His wife was dead, and he was working for the guys that killed her goddammit!

"What do you mean?" Michael asked. Kevin stood up, angry.

"You bastard!" He screeched, filled with rage. He killed her! He took Kevin here! He'd been screwing with Kevin's mind for God knows how long! Kevin felt as though he exploded from his chair, surging forwards to attack the archangel.

Unsurprisingly, it didn't work.

Michael gripped him by the front of his neck with ease, lifting the prophet up into the air. "What do you think you're doing?" Michael challenged.

"Screw you!" Kevin choked the words out, spitting on the angel. Michael wiped it off angrily with his free hand.

"I believe that you misunderstand your place." Michael stated. His grip tightened on Kevin's neck. "You are a Prophet of the Lord. You are the property of the Holy Host, and those who serve God." He cocked his head to the side, smirking. It was the same smirk he'd given Kevin when he'd stabbed Kylie. "You belong to me, you pitiful ape."

"I'd rather die." Kevin said the words firmly. Saying those words with clarity made him feel better.

"Oh, I'd rather you die too." Michael agreed. For a moment, Kevin felt hope. If he was dead, then Michael was stuck here. If he was dead, then Michael was screwed. Maybe he'd do it. Maybe he'd kill him.

His hopes were dashed at Michael's next words, though. "Too bad I still need you." Michael dropped Kevin on the ground, leaving him gasping for air. He didn't get a chance to move away until Michael's hands were on his temples.

Kevin howled in pain. He could see memories screeching by him. Everything about Metatron, gone. His memories of Kylie, fuzzy and driving in his mind.

"No!" Kevin screamed. "Not again!" It didn't matter, though. As hard as Kevin pushed, Michael responded tenfold. Michael. The weapon. Michael… Had he been there? He had been so certain it had been an angel, but… Michael had shown him the memory again. It was a demon. It was hard to see him, but it was a demon.

Kevin was certain of it. And Kylie… His wife. He had to make it through. He had to get a world open to bring her to. Michael was bringing her back. Kylie had believed that not all angels were bad angels. She believed in the angels.

Kevin was doing this for her. He was going to get them out of a world full of demons. He was going to help. Kevin was doing the right thing. He was a Prophet of the Lord, after all.

He woke up from a memory, seeing Kylie fall in his mind. A demon had killed her. It had been a while ago. But Michael was bringing her back.

Kevin looked at where he'd fallen asleep. It was at his desk again. The angels didn't get why he needed one, but it was useful. It helped him focus. He had to focus. He had to keep working.

He had to get them out of a world full of so many demons. Demons had killed her. He had to keep going.

He took a breath, shaking his head. He'd been awake without sleep for a while. His brain always felt fuzzy, now. It was hard to focus.

He had to focus. He couldn't be distracted. He may be tired, but he had to keep going.


End file.
